


Just A Kiss

by heartofawriter



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, ava and gladys are best friends okay, they're both sass masters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 20:34:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18924526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartofawriter/pseuds/heartofawriter
Summary: A week after her return to Riverdale, Ava is finally forced to talk to her husband.





	Just A Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to Hannah because she said she wanted more Ava and Gem because she ships Tava even though she won't read this because she's busy.

There had been a weird dynamic ever since Ava had come home. Tom and Sierra didn’t know how to function with her in town, so they were awkwardly navigating their way through it. Josie was happy the woman was back for Kevin’s sake, but she too felt uneasy, if only because she knew her mother was uncomfortable. Like Kevin, she still wasn’t completely on board with their parents’ impending wedding, but she  _ did _ want Sierra to be happy.

 

The rest of the town, gossips as they were, simply wanted to see how the events of the entire situation played out, many of them feeling strange by association due to their acquaintanceships with the former mayor and sheriff.

 

It seemed the only people who were truly happy and able to comfortably interact with the blonde were Kevin, Gladys, Mary, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Archie. The teens were simply happy that their friend was happy, and the two other adults were happier than ever to have their own friend home.

 

If anything, they were actually taking extreme pleasure in watching Tom and Sierra squirm whenever they happened to be in the same place as Ava, which is why Gladys, being the more obvious lover of watching other people squirm, smirked when the couple entered Pop’s with Kevin and Josie where she, Ava, and Mary were having lunch together a week after Ava’s return.

 

“Why are you smiling like that?” Mary asked, shaking her head a little. In her experience, no good ever came from that look. Gladys shrugged slightly, smirk still in place.

 

“No reason.” she replied innocently.

 

“Thomas and Sierra are here.” Ava supplied, rolling her eyes gently and nudging Gladys with her elbow. “And we are  _ not _ going to make a scene.”

 

“Awww, come on, I just wanna see them squirm a little!” the brunette pouted a little.

 

“No.” The woman was sulking by the time the small group made to pass by their table, Kevin stopping immediately and prompting the other three to stop with him against their better judgment.

 

“Hi mom!” the boy smiled brightly, leaning down to hug his mother.

 

“Hi sweetheart.” Ava hugged him back, her own smile forming. “How’d your presentation go yesterday?”

 

“Presentation?” Tom interjected in confusion.

 

“Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you.” Kevin shrugged. “I had to present a speech on whether there’s good reason for the American war on terror for my debate class. Mom helped me research and practice, and it went really well. I got an A.”

 

“That’s so great, honey!” Ava smiled proudly, standing to hug him again. “I’m so proud of you!”

 

“You forgot to tell me you had a big speech to do?” Tom interjected.

 

“Kids forget things, don’t start with the favorite parent debate, you big baby.” Gladys scoffed.

 

“Hey! Leave him alone.” Sierra snapped, looping her arm around Tom’s. Gladys laughed lowly, standing and crossing her arms as she stood in front of the other woman.

 

“Or  _ what _ , you homewrecking-”

 

“Okay, that’s enough.” Ava got between them, nudging her friend toward the door. “Mary, we’ll see you later?”

 

“Mhm. Try and keep her out of trouble.” the redhead nodded over at Gladys who made a noise of protest.

 

“I’ll do my best.” And with that, Ava said goodbye to her son, ushering her best friend out of the diner. “What part of  _ not _ making a scene did you not understand?”

 

“I would say I’m sorry, but I can’t help myself around those two. They’re too easy to mess with. And besides. I don’t like people who hurt you.” the brunette shrugged unapologetically. She opened her mouth to respond but stopped upon hearing her husband’s voice behind her.

 

“Avie?” She sighed softly to herself.

 

“Go home, and try not to get into too much trouble, okay?” she instructed Gladys.

 

“Ava-” the other woman began to protest, casting a wary and disapproving look at her best friend’s soon to be ex.

 

“Please?”

 

“Fine.” the brunette rolled her eyes before once more looking at the man behind the blonde. “Hurt her again and  _ die _ .” With that final warning, she sauntered off, climbing on her motorcycle and leaving Ava to turn and face her husband.

 

“What do you want, Thomas?” she sighed, crossing her arms.

 

“I want to talk.” he replied. “Can we go somewhere?”

 

“I really don’t think there’s much left for us to talk about.”

 

“Please, Ava?” She hated herself for it, but she had never been able to resist that look in his eyes. Which is how she found herself nodding and sighing once more.

 

“Meet me at the Five Seasons. I need to change before Gladys and I go to dinner tonight anyway.” Another few minutes and a car ride later, and she was walking inside the hotel with Tom on her heels.

 

“What exactly would you like me to do, Thomas?” Ava asked as she unlocked the door of her hotel suite and pushing the door open. “I can’t control Gladys, and, to be quite frank, I really don’t want to.”

 

When he had asked to talk, she had assumed he had meant he wanted to have a conversation about their marriage and its destruction or about Kevin’s living arrangements now that she was back in town. So, she was understandably annoyed when the first thing he’d said upon both of their arrivals at her hotel was  _ I need you to talk to Gladys about how she acts toward Sierra _ .

 

“All I’m asking is that you talk to her! Try and get her to stop being so rude to Sierra!” Tom answered tiredly as he followed her inside.

 

“You want me to talk to my best friend. About being rude. To your  _ mistress _ .” the blonde replied flatly, turning to raise an eyebrow at him. He sighed, shaking his head.

 

“Ave…”

 

“No. Don’t you  _ Ave _ me. You don’t get to stand here and try to make  _ me _ feel bad that Gladys is tormenting your fiancee when she’s the one you  _ cheated on me _ with while I was  _ at war _ .” He looked down, and despite her words, she  _ did _ feel bad, but Gladys was teaching her to stop letting things go. “I know I was gone for over a year, and I know you two have loved each other since high school. But maybe you should recall that  _ I _ have loved you just as long as she has.”

 

He was silent for the longest time, prompting her to simply roll her eyes and turn with the intent of going into the bathroom to change.

 

She wasn’t expecting him to grab her arm.

 

Nor was she expecting to be pushed against the wall.

 

But what she expected the least was the kiss.

 

The last time Tom had kissed her had been the night before she’d left. They had gotten into a fight over her deployment that stemmed from a mutual fear of her never coming back, and it had ended in them spending the entire night together rather than her getting the rest she likely should have.

 

It felt different for him to be kissing her now. Maybe it was because of how long she had been gone. Or maybe it was because she knew he wasn’t hers anymore. But nevertheless, she couldn’t quite bring herself to push him away, beginning to kiss back.

 

It didn’t take long for him to lift her up, prompting her to lock her legs around his waist as his kisses trailed down her neck. She let her head fall back to rest against the wall, her hands gently tangling in his hair. It was only when his fingers began undoing the buttons of her shirt that she came to her senses, though it was more because of his  _ words _ rather than his  _ actions _ .

 

“Sierra…” It was whispered against her skin, but she heard nonetheless, and both of them froze for several moments. Not another word was spoken, even when she let her legs drop and placed her hands on his chest to gently push him away.

 

“Ava…” Tom ran his hand through his hair, sighing softly.

 

“Don’t.” she shook her head, refusing to look at him as she rebuttoned her shirt. “Just go.”

 

“Avie, I’m sorry, I-” he tried, reaching out for her hand. She yanked away, fighting tears as she put some distance between them.

 

“No! Don’t, just go! Please, just...just go.” With another sigh, he did as she asked, shutting the door quietly behind him. Once the lock clicked, she sunk to the floor at the end of the bed, leaning back against the frame and burying her face in her hand as the tears began to flow. She’d known for ages that her husband loved Sierra, but somehow it hurt more to have it confirmed because to her…

 

A kiss from him was never just a kiss.


End file.
